


Kaidan Alenko, Guardian Angel

by SifaShep



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect 3: Leviathan, Priority: Earth, kaidan alenko appreciation week, kaidan as a guardian angel, priority: rannoch, shepard x tali
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-28 09:53:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6324514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SifaShep/pseuds/SifaShep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaidan died on Virmire, but he still has his own mission to complete.</p><p>This is a sideways sequel to Afterlife, where Shepard meets Kaidan in an Otherworldly bar after the SR-1 goes down over Alchera. This might be a strange story for Kaidan Appreciation Week (February 2016), but Kaidan strikes me as a protector and a fiercely loyal friend to Shepard, no matter what. It’s this quality among others that makes Kaidan such a great character.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kaidan Alenko, Guardian Angel

Being dead didn’t mean he didn’t care, and being dead didn’t mean he still didn’t do stupid things.

So when he volunteered to be Shepard’s guardian angel, he thought he knew what he was getting into. After all, he knew Shepard’s tendency to jump headfirst into danger, his stubborn loyalty to his friends, his dedication to his crew, and his determination to beat the Reapers.

It wasn’t going to be an easy job. But in his mind, he couldn’t imagine anyone else looking over Shepard’s shoulder.

Of course, Kaidan Alenko had underestimated Shepard’s amazing ability to attract trouble.

 **Running under a thresher maw _and_ a Reaper? Are you out of your mind, Shepard???** Kaidan raced right behind Shepard, ghostly assault rifle in hand. He subtly nudged debris away from his friend with his biotics. If Shepard noticed, he didn’t question it, and Kaidan doubted he did anyway. After all, he was busy at the time.

 **Looking for a proto-Reaper under the ocean…using an outdated Atlas mech? Since when was this a good idea, Shepard???** Kaidan simply shook his head. He looked over Cortez’s shoulder as the pilot double-checked the Atlas. Wait, there was a loose-connection over here…something that might be fatal. Kaidan nudged Cortez’s shoulder, and the pilot looked at that direction. Cortez spotted the flaw and quickly corrected it.

 **Taking on a Reaper _on foot_??? Not your smartest idea, Shepard! ** Kaidan sighed and leaped off the transport after Shepard. He knew why they needed to destroy that Reaper now instead of later, but this was absolutely insane!

There was another reason why Shepard was so determined. Kaidan overheard his conversation with Tali:

“I love you.”  
“Keelah se'lai.”

Kaidan smiled, even though he knew nobody saw him. Too bad he wasn’t going to collect that one-hundred credit bet with Joker, but he was happy that Shepard had finally found someone who loved him.

Of course, it only made Kaidan even more determined to protect Shepard and bring him back to Tali safely. The Reaper tried to obliterate Shepard with its beam, and Kaidan threw up a Barrier to shield him. Every time Shepard painted the target for the fleet, he snuck in an Overload to erode the Reaper’s shields. His power didn’t compare to the whole Quarian fleet, but it did help a little.

When that Reaper finally lay still on Rannoch’s soil, he blew out a sigh of relief. Shepard had done the impossible, with help, and Kaidan was glad to do what little he could.

*****

Kaidan gave Shepard his strength, as Shepard fired his pistol at the Crucible. **Hang on, Shepard. Hang on just a little while longer…** Kaidan saw the horrific injuries his friend had suffered, the gunshot wound in his side, the internal bleeding, the numb shock. The medic in Kaidan was outraged, but the friend and protector in him was proud of Shepard.

**Hang on, Shepard. You’ll come back to Tali. I promise.**

Explosion…white light…

*****  
“Kaidan?”

“Hey, Shepard.” Kaidan gave him a weary smile. “Good to see you. You’ve been pretty busy.”

He snorted in laughter. “That’s an understatement. So…is this it? I’m dead for good this time?”

“You want to be?”

Shepard sighed and shook his head. “I’m so damn _tired_ , Kaidan–”

“But?”

He was silent for a long time, as if weighing his options. “Ah, hell. I’m not done yet, am I?”

Kaidan laughed and shook his head. “You’ve got a certain Quarian who would be very mad at you if you died, you know.”

“Yeah.” Shepard gave him a sheepish grin. “But I keep making your, um, afterlife, pretty complicated.”

“I asked for the job, remember? Besides, I don’t mind.”

“You’ve been doing a really good job, Kaidan. I can’t think of anyone else who’s stubborn enough to look after me.”

He laughed again. “Me? _Stubborn?_ ”

Shepard winked, then he was gone from sight. Kaidan grinned and thought, _Back to work._

And honestly, Kaidan couldn’t think of anyone else for this job. No one else _could_ do it.


End file.
